Album Review: Jupiter Falls – Faces In The Sand Part One

If you are a regular reader of Moshville Times (and if not, why the hell not?) you will most likely already be aware that we have exclusively been streaming the brand-new Jupiter Falls Album Faces in The Sand Part One all week. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it, never fear the album itself will be out on March 24th.

They’re signed to Broken Road Records, who themselves are gaining a reputation as a great record label, home to Moshville Times favourites The Darker My Horizon amongst others. I was first made aware of Jupiter Falls when Moshville Times’ esteemed Editor Mosh announced the exclusive stream and it has been highly lauded amongst the Moshville Times Crew.

Formed in 2013, Jupiter Falls have already toured France and the UK with Red Dragon Cartel. Debut album Revolution was very well received but I always like to see progression and with Faces in the Sand Part One you are not going to be disappointed. It’s better produced, so much so, that this new record demands your attention. It has a depth and an identity way beyond the debut. Yes, it’s still got those pure rock and rollers many of you loved from the debut but there is a maturity to the songwriting and new level to the emotional response that this record offers that makes this not just a great follow up, but the record that Jupiter Falls have been promising.

The two opening tracks sum up this album well, the darkness and the light, the ebb and flow of emotions. “It’s Your Problem Now” is everything we have come to love and expect from the Jupiter Falls guys. It is low and dirty; it has a great bridge and chorus and creates the excitement of that live sound. This is the sort of song and sound that belongs in clubs and venues of the UK. It has attitude, it demands you pay attention and provides that rock and roll excitement in return. The solo itself creates a thousand images and places you in a thousand places, it is classic and timeless at the same time.

“Welcome to My World” on the other hand is the first example on the album of a greater depth to the Jupiter Falls repertoire and is equally as good. As a track, it has been produced well, with rumbling thunder, a gentle guitar before a single solo lead comes in. This is quickly combined with the full band and the overall sound is epic. The best way I can describe it to you is if you think of some of the more pompous moments of Iron Maiden, when they totally engross you with the talent of the music or even a touch of Queensryche in its grandness. This is the same. As the track builds from this they have already got your soul, you are in the world so each guitar solo, chanted bridge and epic thunderous moment just draws you in further. Welcome to their world.

For me the signature of this album is the way that Jupiter Falls can meld the vocals, the dynamics and emotion of the band with those guitar solos. The solos on this album completely stand out. They are soulful, at times showy (in the type of way that your 12 year old would love) but more importantly they punctuate these songs and tell the story before the vocals even begin, and later they take the emotions to an even higher level. Just take the opening solo of “Faces in the Sand Part One”. This is a prime example; it has equal rights in telling the story as the vocals but never overcooked. This is an epic track, over 9 minutes long, and without this additional story telling it would not work as well as it does.

“Nothing to Me” is fast becoming one of my favorite tracks on the album. This firmly falls into the rocker camp, part Def Leppard, part Thunder, but with a mean streak that I like. Jupiter Falls manage to conjure up a style at times, where you imagine the guitars, slung low, bottle of whiskey in their hands playing because their lives depend upon it.

Again, though, the variety is what makes this album and the acoustic driven “Call Me” is another example of this. It avoids being the ‘ballad’ and it equally avoids being the sweet acoustic song, the trap that so many fall into. Instead, we have a great rocker of a song softened only by the use of the acoustic guitar. It has the grandeur needed to bring this album and this track to the heights they are dreaming of and instead of being clichéd we are treated to a track of epic proportions.

So, if the public received the debut well they are going to be blown away by Faces in the Sand Part One. This is a band that are on the cusp of greatness in terms of popularity but have already proved it on record with Faces in the Sand Part One. This is a rollercoaster of a record with emotional highs and lows but they always retain that aloofness and dirty side that you want to see from a band as well. There are heroes to be made here – make sure that you ride the wave with them.